UPDATE 1-Mexico tracing phone signals in search for 31 kidnapped migrants

Mexican authorities are tracing phone signals as they intensify their search for the 31 migrants from Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia and other nations kidnapped in the northern Tamaulipas state, Security Minister Rosa Icela Rodriguez said on Wednesday. Gunmen on Saturday snatched the migrants from a bus that departed the industrial city of Monterrey destined for Matamoros, across from Brownsville, Texas.

Mexican authorities are tracing phone signals as they intensify their search for the 31 migrants from Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia and other nations kidnapped in the northern Tamaulipas state, Security Minister Rosa Icela Rodriguez said on Wednesday.

Gunmen on Saturday snatched the migrants from a bus that departed the industrial city of Monterrey destined for Matamoros, across from Brownsville, Texas. Rodriguez said the kidnapping was "unusual" due to the large number of victims, adding authorities are retracing phone signals and last known movements of the migrants to find them.

A record number of migrants traveled across Central America and Mexico in 2023 aiming to reach the United States, fleeing poverty, violence, climate change, and conflict. The border state of Tamaulipas has faced serious security challenges as organized crime groups battle for control of trafficking routes for drugs and migrants.